What is bsm?

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A Guide to The BSM Here is Your Opportunity to Reach Your Campus for Christ

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Robert Rueda Copyright © 2014 Robert Rueda All rights reserved.

ISBN-13: 978-1499664447 ISBN-10: 1499664443

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All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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1 WHAT IS BSM? ! !

BSM stands for Baptist Student Ministry. The BSM is supported by Texas Baptists. This is a group of churches from all over the state of Texas that have come together to reach people for Christ in Texas and around the world.

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The question we always get asked is: do I have to be Baptist to be part of the BSM? The answer is no. Students that are involved with the BSM come from all walks of life and from many religions and denominations. You don’t have to be Baptist to be part of the BSM. The only thing you need to have is a desire to discover who God is and to learn what He wants to do with your life.

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We are a Christian organization and as such, we believe in the Bible as the word of God, Jesus the son of God who died on the cross and rose again on the third day. In doing so, he paid for our sins, and provided a way to be reconciled to God and have access to him in a personal way. We believe in the Holy Spirit as the counselor whom God sent to guide us into all truth. We believe that whosever believes in Jesus will have eternal life. We believe in attending church because the church (people who believe in Jesus) are part of the body of Christ

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and their main goal is to be witnesses of Jesus and to encourage other believers to live for Him.

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Many students also wonder whether the BSM will seek to convert them to be Baptists. We don’t do this. We don’t encourage attendance to Baptist churches. We do encourage that students welcome God during their college years, read the Bible, find a community of Christian faith on campus to grow spiritually, and that they get involved in a Biblical church (meaning a church that is based on the teachings of the Bible).

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What does it mean to be Baptist? This is important to know since the staff or volunteers that serve with BSM are Baptists. Being Baptist basically means that we are first and foremost followers of Jesus. Our main goals are to give God glory and honor in all we do, to share the Good News of Jesus, and to live to the best of our ability as doers of God’s word.

These goals are what fuel what we do. A few principles that Baptists share are:

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we can do more. Therefore churches and individuals should come together to put their resources together to have as much impact as possible in our communities for God’s glory.

• Any person can have access to God through Jesus Christ.

We don’t hold the key to access God and no religion can provide this. It is only Jesus who has made a way for us to know God and have a personal relationship with Him. • Our goal is not to convert people to the Baptist denomination but to point people to Jesus, the giver of life.

Our interest is not to bring people to the church, but to encourage them to be the church. We believe this is what Baptist churches are, a place where people who believe in Jesus can come together to be encouraged to live for him and to invite others to do the same thing. We also believe that there are other brothers and sisters in Christ that are not Baptists and are doing the same thing as we are.

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• We want to be part of helping people all over the world have an opportunity to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. This is why we are committed to mobilizing people to serve on missions to the ends to the earth.

• We want people to experience Jesus and not a religion. We believe that a relationship with Jesus is a dynamic relationship not based on a list of dos and don’t but based on an understanding of God’s purpose for our lives and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

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There are many more characteristics and beliefs that describe what a Baptist is, but our goal here in this chapter is not to present an extensive description of being a Baptist.

Rather, we want you to know that the BSM is not seeking personal gain, but rather seeking to show God’s love to you.

Our passion is for you to discover all God has for you through Jesus Christ our Lord. We believe this can happen during your college years and can have a life altering effect beyond college.

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With this in mind, let me give you a quick description of BSM. The BSM is an organization on your campus committed to demonstrate to you God’s love manifested in Jesus and to train you and equip you to live out God’s love in your life and to share that with others.

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During your college years and service with BSM, you will have many opportunities to grow in your Christian faith and to set a strong foundation for being a disciple of Jesus for the rest of your life.

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How did you learn about BSM? What is your religious background?

What is your perspective of what church means?

How would you describe the BSM in your own words?

Which one of the principles mentioned in this chapter resonates with you?

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